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The Best Places for an Asian Spring Break

Hiking trails, authentic street food and wild waterfalls – book your place on one of these Culture Trip adventures to experience Asia in the way you dreamt of.
Richard Collett
5 May 2023
Spring is both an exciting and culturally rich time to visit Asia. This is when the continent celebrates, with spring festivals bringing colour and noise to the streets after winter. Catch Songkran in Thailand, visit Japan in Golden Week and see Reunification Day in Vietnam. The weather will still be cool and mostly dry – with excellent conditions for hiking and lounging on beaches. To inspire your next getaway, these are the best destinations for an Asian spring break.
1 . Southern Thailand, for island adventures and festivals

Spring is a glorious time of year to explore southern Thailand – especially if you’re looking for a beach break. The weather is heating up, but you’ll miss the winter crowds that flock here over Christmas. Visit in April and you can join the water fights of Songkran festival, too.
This 10-day Culture Trip tour starts and ends in Phuket. You’ll spend the night on a floating raft house in Khao Sok Lake before visiting the lagoons, limestone cliffs and beaches of Krabi – and cruising through the Andaman Islands in search of wildlife and fiery sunsets.

From£1351
Next available from17 Oct 2023
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2 . Sri Lanka, for group tours and authentic cuisine

Spring is a unique time to explore Sri Lanka – while the southwest monsoon is just beginning, you’ll escape the crowds and see the country rejuvenated by rain. This 12-day Culture Trip group tour starts in Colombo, before moving north to visit the elephant herds of Minneriya National Park and the Sigiriya rock fortress.
Learn how to cook Sri Lankan curries in Kandy, visit the tea plantations of Ella and explore the south coast on a wildlife safari in Yala National Park.

From£1358
Next available from17 Jul 2023
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3 . Bali, for wild waterfalls and snorkelling
Bali lies just south of the equator, so spring here is a transition between the wet and dry seasons – ideal if you want to beat the high season crowds and have cooler, drier weather for hiking and snorkelling. This 12-day Culture Trip group tour to the Island of the Gods takes you on a sunrise hike to Mount Batur and includes visits to the underwater statues of the Gili Islands and the quirky cafes and bars of Canggu.
Along the way, you’ll learn how to cook Balinese curries, swim in wild waterfalls and learn about the nuances of Balinese religious ceremonies as you tour across the Indonesian island.
From£1239
Next available from17 Jun 2023
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4 . Vietnam, for street food and rural hiking

April 30 is Reunification Day in Vietnam, one of the most important holidays of the year. It’s also the spring season – when the weather is warming up before the summer rains arrive. It’s therefore a beautiful time to explore the northern rice paddies and karst scenery of Lan Ha Bay.
This 12-day tour from Culture Trip starts with street food in Hanoi, followed by a hike in the countryside and a cruise into the limestone bays along the coast. Take the train south to the old Imperial capital of Hue, before the tour finishes with a walking tour of ancient Hoi An.

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Next available from12 Aug 2023
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5 . Nepal, for cultural excursions and cooking lessons

March until May is the spring season in Nepal – and the best time for trekking. This 11-day Culture Trip tour mixes Himalayan hiking with cultural excursions and wildlife safaris. You’ll start the trip with a Nepalese dinner in Kathmandu before exploring the Annapurna Range around Pokhara.
From here, you’ll head into the mountains for a momo cooking masterclass with Tibetan refugees, before travelling south to the rainforests of Chitwan National Park – where you might just spot a Bengal tiger.

From£1291
Next available from16 Sep 2023
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6 . India, for the top attractions in Rajasthan

Hot temperatures and sweltering humidity are standard during the summer months in Rajasthan – so visit India in the spring, before temps creep up. This epic 10-day adventure around Rajasthan starts in Delhi, visits Agra for a sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal – one of the seven wonders of the world – and continues onto Jaipur, to see the city’s top sights.
Next, you’ll experience traditional life in a Bishnoi village before a quick stop at the 15th-century Jain temple at Ranakpur. The trip finishes in Udaipur after a day to explore the main attractions.

From£1405
Next available from15 Oct 2023
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Maja Proescholdt contributed additional reporting to this article.

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